Some bible passages take on a whole new meaning after Mormonism. One of those is Ephesians 2. As these important verses explore the concepts of “grace” and “faith”, they highlight some of the most fundamental differences between Mormonism and traditional Christianity.
What Is Grace?
The book of Ephesians says that we are saved by grace, through faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God.
Grace is essential to Christianity. Salvation is not by grace “after all you can do”. Either it is by grace or it isn’t – it can’t be both. Verse 8 emphasizes the “gift” character of grace. Salvation is a gift of God. A gift is something that’s unconditional. A true gift isn’t a reward for something you do. If you know a gift is, this helps you understand grace.
[Related: What Is Grace?]
[Related: Living in Grace After Mormonism]
What is Faith?
Faith is more than just believing something. It involves truly trusting some truth and giving your life over to it 100%. In other words, faith is not just cognitive, but a complete reliance on what God has done.
Ephesians 2:9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Salvation is not based on what we can do. It is not by our own good works. This is a stark contrast to the Book of Mormon, which says that “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). In the Bible, we are saved by grace alone, instead of by what we can do. As a result, no one can boast about their salvation. This approach takes away the comparing and judging many Mormons have experienced. Any merit or performance based system will end up with people measuring themselves against each other. Arrogance easily creeps in. People start to focus on cultivating an external image so people think we’re worthy. But by emphasizing God’s grace, received through faith, the Bible puts us all on an equal footing. We’re all sinners. We’re all equally needy. None of us are worthy.
[Related: What It Means to Be Made Right with God]
[Related: Justification By Faith]
[Related: Hope for the Generations – Our Faith]
What Is the Role of Good Works?
Contrary to what many Mormons believe, God’s grace does not translate into freedom to live however we want. Instead, grace leads to good works as the overflow of the Christian life.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We were created for good works. This is part of God’s good plan for our lives. The life of honoring God is the best life we can live. But good works are not the root (cause), but the fruit (result) of salvation. The changed life Christians live flows out of what God has already done. Grace leads to an intrinsic instead of an extrinsic motivation. In fact, many Christians do more “good works” than before, because they have experienced God’s love and want to show their love to him.
[Related: Does Grace Mean I Can Do What I Want?]
This is what grace and faith are about. It may be very different from how we understood those concepts in Mormonism. Yet we hope you will discover these truths for yourself. It’s liberating to admit our true condition before God and realize God has done everything we need.
